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Call for papers: What is authentic about restoration?

Tuesday, May 23, 2017 - 10:21
Call for papers "What is authentic about restoration?" for an upcoming issue of Aesthetic Investigations focused on the philosophical implications of preservation, restoration, and conservation, as it applies to art or architecture. Editors Remei Capdevila and Sue Spaid welcome submissions from aestheticians, environmental philosophers, moral philosophers, cognitive philosophers, art conservators, architects, artists, architectural historians, art historians, etc.
Your previously unpublished paper cannot exceed 7500 words (including embedded footnotes) and must be: written in English, prepared for blind review, follow Aesthetic Investigations guidelines, and uploaded directly to the journal's site. We especially welcome papers from writers whose native tongue is not English.
Many seem to agree that restoration generally means "restoring to normal use," not original conditions. Where does that leave the "authenticity" or traceability of the artist's achievements? We welcome aesthetic and philosophical discussions of the law and criteria in use in practice in the restoration of objects of value.
Papers may address/assess any of the following issues:
1)         Conserving to the photograph; photography's role in guiding approaches, influencing outcomes, and measuring success, or alternative measuring sticks to photography.
2)         Are renovated buildings and conserved artworks co-authored?
3)         What are the boundaries of authenticity? What needs to be left of the "original" for it to be considered an original work? Are works perceived as poorly or improperly conserved works effectively "new" works by different artists?
4)         How do preservationist approaches, which discourage interventions, challenge intentionalist positions?
5)         Does aesthetics treat conservation as a fact of the matter or a controversial inconvenience?
6)         Is conservation a matter of appearance or does it have ontological considerations?
7)         What are the ethical aspects to be considered when restoring or preserving?
8)         How do preservationist practices challenge established notions of authenticity?
 We offer authors the possibility to submit a long abstract of around 1000 words consisting of a detailed outline of the paper and which should include the paper’s structure as well as its main claims, ideas, and arguments.
Submission deadline: June 30, 2017
Please contact the editors for any questions:
Remei Capdevila
Sue Spaid